Category Archives: Golf

I’ve been thinking about family tonight. This weekend, like every other Civic Holiday weekend, hosts our golf tournament. Now it wasn’t ‘ours’ until three years ago, but I will explain more about that later.

Thirty-six years ago at the tender age of twenty-eight my brother and his good friend George started a golfing tradition. They called it The (both their last names) Unclassic. The first trophy – yes there was a trophy engraved and everything – is still talked about to this day. It seems one day the two men were talking and golfing and when George hit the ball with his driver and the ‘head of the driver went further than his ball.’ That head became the focal point for the first trophy which my sister-in-law designed and made. Each year the men duked it out for seventy-two holes to declare a winner whose name and year was added to the trophy.

Unfortunately that trophy was lost but another took its place. And the tournament of the Unclassic has occurred every year. Now the winner is decided after an eighteen-hole play off. Some of the participants have changed over the years but the core group remains the same and now today the next generation or two now take part and as we sat around post game and stories of the beginning years were told and laughed about hysterically by the new generation the continuation of a tradition was assured.

Three years ago the men decided that we women could finally play with them. Well not really with but in the same tourney. We even have our own trophy which goes (so far) to one who excels in the game. She is a sweetheart and I am happy for her but I did tell her that next year I will get my name engraved. Ha Ha. Well perhaps if I keep score we will see.

Now you may wonder what all this has to do with ‘family’.

First, George who remains without link of blood ties is now and always will be family. Secondly Sheila the annual winner for women has been, without link of blood ties, now and always will be family.

We are very lucky my sibs and cousins that we are best friends. Genuinely fun-loving laughing uproarisly best friends. Lots of folks have a hard time believing it but it is true.

Third we, as a family are blessed by the non-marital, non-blood ties but forever part of our family (as dubious as that honor may seem) by this wonderful woman Sheila and of course by George.

I once knew a woman, actually my first mother-in-law who used to say, ‘God gave us our family but thank God we can choose our friends.’

Somehow we hit solid gold with both and I figure we are about the luckiest laughing fools on the planet.

What a day! And I have not set a foot outside on this glorious day except to lounge on my balcony, as I continue on the path to recuperation.

Earlier today, in search of a new book I headed down to our library in the building. I always take another book to replace the one I withdraw. Searching my stock I grabbed a book I had never read and had no intention of reading. It was a very old tome my son had left many years ago when he embarked on the real world sans Mommy.

The book penned by Will and Ariel Durant is part of a series dedicated to history and covers the years 1558-1603 under the rule of Queen Elizabeth.
Before depositing it on the shelf I opened the front cover out of curiosity and was immediately caught up in a gripping tale so well constructed time stopped and the parallel universe of the sixteenth century opened a portal through which I eagerly stepped.

About the middle of the afternoon I suddenly realized I was missing the US Golf Open and hurriedly turn on the set. That too was gripping! I spent the afternoon between history made and history in the making.

Rory McIlroy a young dashing Irishman won long before he finished with a nine-stroke lead. I posted about the Masters awhile back and the excitement of a close game with about 5 million players all close enough to win, but this was stellar.

The game is over but the book goes on. Durant presents the complexities of this convoluted period of time not just with ease but also with hot passion. I had a hard time choosing just one quote from the book to entice you and am determined it to be just one…” Rarely has a woman derived so much advantage from barreness, or so much pleasure from virginity.” He then goes on to describe the brutality and depravity of the world at that time and the influences of Italy..oh there is so much more and I have barely gotten a quarter way through.

I usually find it difficult to keep world history straight and understandable…it’s just too confusing but Will presents the politics, people, and countries of the world in such a clear way that even I get it.